The New York TimesAfter coaching 60 high school basketball games this season, Randy Carlisle is tired. "But it's a real good tired," he said. Carlisle coached the boys team (22-7) at Summerfield High School to a state championship among Louisiana's smallest schools. A week earlier, he led the Summerfield girls (30-1) to a state title, in what has been a frenetic playoff run that left him crisscrossing the state, ping-ponging from one team to the other on late-night drives and for early-morning practices.READ MORE

Palm Beach PostHigh school football in Florida soon may be headed toward a tiered system where large, powerful programs take the best players and others play each other in separate, less competitive leagues. At least, that's the future John I. Leonard coach Kevin Fleury envisions should Florida HB 7029, which passed the state House and Senate recently, is signed by Gov. Rick Scott.READ MORE

USA TodayDeAndre Ayton, the consensus No. 1-rated high school basketball player in the Class of 2017, transferred this year from Balboa City High in San Diego to Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix. Hillcrest isn't a school. It’s a team of elite players, led by Ayton, that plays a national high school schedule against non-traditional high schools. Hillcrest doesn’t have its own building and it doesn’t have any home games.READ MORE

Star TribuneSeeking to address dwindling participation numbers and hoping to quell parental fears about the safety of football, the Independent Metro Athletic Conference held a panel discussion to introduce some significant changes to the way football is offered by member schools. Beginning in the 2016-17 school year, conference schools will offer flag football only to students in grades five and six, and a modified "hybrid" of tackle and flag football in grades seven and eight.READ MORE

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Fort Worth Star-TelegramThere’s a somewhat quiet but growing concern in high school sports: referee shortages. No sport has been more impacted than soccer, where last season multiple games were postponed or affected by a lack of available officials. Among the primary reasons for the referee deficiency is simple attrition.READ MORE

The Dallas Morning NewsThis video comes from the Texas High School Coaches Association and it's a good one. The central theme is that being a high school coach — and for that matter, a high school athlete — goes beyond the field and to something much greater. To sum it up, the lessons and values learned from competing in high school sports can last a lifetime.READ MORE

The Post and CourierMolly Spearman, South Carolina's superintendent of education, told the S.C. Athletic Administrators Association recently that the uniform grading policy is expected to shift from a 7-point grading scale to a 10-point scale beginning with the 2016-17 school year. The policy shift will help "level the playing field" for students competing for scholarships and seeking NCAA academic eligibility, Spearman told the group of coaches and athletic directors meeting in Charleston. READ MORE

TriathlonHow much protein is enough? What about vitamin supplements? Should endurance athletes eat carbs before they exercise? Ask 10 triathletes and you will get 10 answers. But whom should you believe?READ MORE

Sporting NewsDuring the average high school season the common player will have approximately three games and three practices per week. Is the standard in-season schedule the best way to maximize development? The answer to this question may be contingent on one's goal in baseball.READ MORE

By Bob Kowalski On beautiful sunny days, schoolchildren and working adults share a common thought: wishing they could play hooky and head to the park. Research shows that would be a smart move. Nature and green spaces boost brainpower. With the growth of digital tools in education, children — and adults for that matter — spend more time than ever looking at electronic screens. But the next beneficial step might be outside the classroom or office walls.READ MORE

Growing LeadersThe Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sent out a message (really a reminder of an existing rule they created) that certain chants are officially banned at games. Now, on the surface, this rule may sound logical — such as excluding off-color remarks or profanity. But this ruling goes far beyond inappropriate language.READ MORE

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